Start Up Success - Client Highlight

JC Winsem, Inc.
www.jcwinsem.com

Jennifer Campbell is the Founder and owner of JC Winsem Inc., an online clothing store targeting girls and women 8-45 years old. “It is a modest company with a positive message. We want every woman to feel beautiful and good about who they are. We also incorporate eco-friendly and wrinkle free fabric items. We care about our environment and want to do our part,” Jennifer recounted. 

Campbell had the idea and realized there weren’t any mainstream competitors in the market who target a positive message for females. Creating a positive impact in her community is a cornerstone of her business. 

With no business experience and through a post on social media, Jennifer discovered a resource that was available for those who wanted to start a small business. Jennifer recalled how she came to the University of La Verne, “I lived in the area and realized there was a small business office that I saw passing by.” 

Jennifer entered the office and immediately inquired what the SBDC does and what help they provided for clients. She signed up that day and was immediately able to make her appointment to get started. “It went from just an Idea to fully operational and running,” she added.

Jennifer had the common challenge SBDC encountered with clients: where to begin.“I knew there were certain legal things that had to be addressed and to be honest I had no idea how to start that,” she explained.

“I knew I would need some kind of business lawyer, but I just didn't know what exactly am I needing the lawyer for?” Before Jennifer started working with SBDC, she wasn’t sure how to register a business name or what licenses she needed to operate legally.

Jennifer First met with Mark Hicks to plan out and start her business. “One of the most helpful things that he did was he would just give me sort of like homework assignments,” Jennifer described her meetings with Mark. “He would say the first thing you need to do is write your business plan..I would do my homework. I would make sure I get it done and I did. I wrote my business plan and then you graduated to the next step...Every Step of the way Mark helped me do one piece at a time.” 

“I'm extremely grateful for their help because honestly I don't think I could have done it  without the help of all of them: Mark, Sean and Louise. I want to spread the word on these amazing resources, people should know there is help out there for people who are starting out, if they have a good idea they can get help through you (the SBDC)” 

After the planning process Jennifer began working on growing her business through a website and social media marketing. “Louise was amazing with teaching me how to set up my social media accounts and guiding me on the best ways to get noticed and create an audience for my product.” 

JC Winsem Launched in Mid-November 2020 and has $1500 within the first month. When describing their success Jennifer had this to say, “We sold out on a few items, we had to reorder certain items and sales have been steady for a new business.”

Within 3 months J.C. Winsem has accumulated 111 Facebook followers and 88 Instagram followers and built awareness with 15,000 new people on Facebook, with many more on Instagram and Pinterest, to her brand. Jennifer described her results, “I really had no idea what it was going to be like, but the response has been positive. I am so grateful for the support. Especially from my friends and my amazing family.”